Seniors answer the call after Jones financial scandal

They’ve been dubbed the ‘super seniors’ and they hold court weekly in Pointe Claire trying to come to terms with the Earl Jones financial scandal and help build the case against the self-styled financier who allegedly defrauded millions from his clients through a Ponzi scheme.

Jones, who had openly run an unregistered investment business for some 25 years and dealt with chartered banks, was busted after interest cheques he sent to clients began bouncing in June. After going on the lam for about two weeks, Jones turned himself into authorities after consulting a lawyer. His assets were seized, including a luxury Dorval condominium and what was left in bank accountants, by a bankruptcy trustee firm. He faces fraud and theft charges and is due back in court Jan. 15.

Many of Jones’ alleged 176 victims are seniors, and several of them started meeting at the West Island Community Resource Centre (WICRC) in Pointe Claire after the scandal broke. They came for information, moral support as well as financial assistance ― and for a purpose. WICRC hired some of them part-time to work the phones and gather information from other potential victims in order to assist authorities in building their case and to expose holes in the system.

Karlene Kennedy, a 77-year-old Ste. Anne de Bellevue resident, whose son Kevin Curran has become a prominent spokesman for alleged Jones’ victims, said meeting and working with others on the case has helped her cope with the fact much of her lifesavings have vanished. “For me, it’s been a life-alternating experience,” she said, adding the meetings at WICRC have been a big help. “I came here thinking I was helping people but they were also helping me.”

Mary Martin, a 79-year-old Beaconsfield resident, became emotional when discussing the case and still fears losing her home, which she said has become a refuge for her. “It’s a part of my life I don’t want to loose,” said the avid gardener.

The super seniors meeting have helped her keep her focus on life. “Helping my self is the success I need to keep me going,” Martin said. “I am so happy to be attached to people and helping other people.”

WICRC co-ordinator Ann Davidson said her group has provided everything from legal advice to financial assistance to the alleged victims, as well as offering space for meetings. “This has been a financial tsunami for about 200 people,” she said.

Davidson and Curran both blasted the province for not doing enough for alleged Jones victims, citing everything from not refunding taxes paid on fraudulent investments to setting up an assistance fund to aid victims of financial crimes. “It’s not just a bunch of rich people,” Curran said of Jones’ alleged victims. “We’re not looking for handouts. But the need is now. Many of these people are between 75 and 80 years old.”

Kennedy added it is “heartbreaking” for people like her, who helped build their community and gave back for many years, and now that they need it, are not receiving help from authorities.

She vowed that the ‘super seniors’ will stick with it until the end. “We’ll meet until there’s no one left to meet again,” she said.

Besides hoping for a long sentence for Jones when he is convicted or pleads out, the group wants action from the governments to protect investors and better accountability from the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, which is investigating the case, as well as banks that knowingly or unknowingly do business with scam artists.

For more information on WICRC, check www.crcinfo.ca or call 514-694-6404.